Rebels earn split with Lejeune

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 19, 2007 1:49 PM

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CALYSPO -- With just two games under its belt, the North Duplin boys basketball team has some kinks to work out.

The Rebels got outrebounded, had trouble taking care of the basketball and gave up countless easy baskets in an 85-59, non-conference loss to visiting Lejeune on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the North Duplin girls shook off a sluggish start to pick up 32-19 victory.

The Rebels (1-1 overall) and Pups traded baskets throughout the first quarter of the boys' contest and Lejeune held a 12-11 lead after one. The Pups began finding holes in North Duplin's 2-3 zone defense which led to numerous layups, rebounds and fouls under the basket.

The Rebels were outrebounded 23-14 in the first half with several of their players in early foul trouble. Lejeune closed the half on a 10-3 run, which turned a slim 26-25 advantage into a 36-28 halftime lead.

"We're doing way too much fouling right now," North Duplin head coach Ricky Edwards said. "We didn't play very well and Camp Lejeune did. We've got to stop them defensively and we just didn't do that."

The deficit grew to 13 just over midway through the third quarter before North Duplin's Chris Graham knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. However, Lejeune responded with a 14-1 spurt that left the Rebels staring at a 61-41 deficit to start the fourth quarter.

The Pups finished with a 39-25 advantage on the glass, forced 33 North Duplin turnovers and the Rebels shot just 14 of 29 from the free throw line.

"I thought we were in good shape at halftime, but we've got to do a lot better job defensively stepping out on people," Edwards said. "We've got to get to practice some and they're a good group of boys."

Graham finished with 23 points, including four 3-pointers, but was the only Rebel to finish in double-figures. Quninton Mason led Lejeune with 27 points.

Points were a premium in the girls' game, with nearly five minutes elapsing and nine turnovers being committed before the first basket was recorded in the scorebook. The Pups finally got on the board thanks to Jasmyn Davis' layup that sparked a 5-0 lead. The Rebels responded with six unanswered points and took a 6-5 lead into the second quarter.

Controlling the basketball was a problem for Lejeune all night, as the Pups coughed the ball up 40 times and managed to score just two points in both the second and third quarters. With 15 turnovers coming in the second quarter alone, North Duplin (2-0) opened up a 16-7 halftime advantage.

"I'm pleased with our defense," Rebels coach Danny Blackburn said. 'We created some turnovers and got some easy baskets."

Heather Hudson scored seven of her game-high 12 points during a third quarter that saw North Duplin increase its lead to 26-9. While it was evident that the Rebels' offense needs more time to gel, their effort on the boards made up for what they lacked in offensive efficiency. North Duplin finished with a 35-25 rebounding advantage, including a 22-12 edge on the defensive glass.

"We didn't shoot the ball real well and we're a little behind with our schedule," Blackburn said. "I'm pleased with the effort we've just got to work a little harder on offense. One of the things that we talked about at halftime was Lejeune was not shooting the ball very well and we just needed to crash the boards and not give them many easy second-chance points and I think we did a good job of that."

The Rebels host Union on Dec. 27.

Boys

Lejeune 12 24 25 24 -- 85

North Duplin 11 17 13 18 -- 59

LEJEUNE

Antonyo Wilson 1 0 0-0 2, Antwon Graves 5 0 2-4 12, Damian Taylor 2 0 2-2 6, Quintin Jeter 1 0-1 2, Brandon Jones 8 0 3-3 19, Brandon Carter 0 0 1-2 1, Quinton Mason 5 2 11-14 27, Mikey Elkins 3 0 8-8 14, Zack Caetta 0 0 2-4 2. TOTALS 25 2 29-38 85.

NORTH DUPLIN (1-1)

Akeem Cox 1 0 2-2 4, Bryce Jones 0 0 0-2 0, Quentin Graham 2 1 0-4 7, Terrell Midyette 2 0 4-6 8, Chris Graham 3 4 5-10, 23, Shelton Johnson 0 1 0-0 3, Xavier Lee 0 0 2-2 2, Blake King 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS 12 7 14-29 59.

Girls

Lejeune 5 2 2 10 -- 19

North Duplin 6 10 10 6 -- 32

LEJEUNE

Jasmyn Davis 5 0 1-4 11, Karina Diaz 0 0 2-2 2, Aubrey McCants 1 0 0-1 2, Ashley Robertson 0 0 4-8 4. TOTALS 6 0 7-15 19.

NORTH DUPLIN (2-0)

Heather Hudson 5 0 2-3 12, Rebecca Coats 2 0 1-2 5, Jessica Prigden 2 0 0-0 4, Katie Swanzey 0 0 1-2 1, Jodie Williamson 2 0 3-4 7, April Jones 1 0 0-0 2, Angelica Favela 0 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 12 0 8-13 32.